Skateboarding will be part of the action when the Your Local Club Regional Academy Games come to Tamworth in April 2027, under a new three-year partnership between Regional Academies of Sport (RAS) and Skate Australia.
The deal creates a clearer pathway for young skateboarders across regional NSW to progress into high-performance sport. It will grow the RAS Skate Program, giving talented young skaters access to quality coaching, structured training, athlete education, and performance support, all aligned with Skate Australia’s national pathway.
“Regional athletes should have access to the same quality development opportunities and support as their metropolitan counterparts, regardless of where they live,” said RAS Group Chief Operating Officer Mark Calverley.
The two organisations will work together to set up a consistent statewide regional skate development program, aligned with Skate Australia’s national performance pathway and its Athlete Development Framework.
The partnership will initially focus on athletes aged 8 to 14, with each Regional Academy able to offer up to 12 athlete positions a year.
“The roots of skateboarding are incredibly simple. Give a young person a skateboard and somewhere to skate, and their journey can begin,” said Skate Australia General Manager, High Performance Daniel Mangano.
“As our sport continues to grow, we want to make sure we don’t lose that.”
“Where someone lives shouldn’t determine the opportunities available to them or how far they can progress.”
The partnership aims to identify and develop emerging talent, increase opportunities for regional athletes to move into national performance programs, and grow coaching expertise across regional communities.
“This partnership strengthens the connection between our regional programs and the national performance pathway, creating clearer opportunities for talented young skateboarders to develop their skills, access quality coaching and progress within the sport,” Calverley said.
Under the agreement, participating Regional Academies will run their local skate programs, including athlete management, coaching, training, sport science, and personal development education.
Skate Australia will provide technical expertise, curriculum and program development support, coach mentoring, help with talent identification, and opportunities for athletes and coaches to connect with the broader national pathway. It will also help find and recruit coaches in priority regions, allowing RAS to expand the program into more academy regions over the three years.
“This partnership is about bringing quality development opportunities closer to regional communities, supporting the coaches and environments around those athletes, and creating stronger connections into the broader Skate Australia pathway,” Mangano said.
“In NSW, that also helps build a stronger development base underneath the NSWIS skateboarding program, ensuring more young athletes have the opportunity to develop towards that level if that’s where their skating takes them.”
As a partner sporting body for the Tamworth Games, Skate Australia will help give athletes a chance to compete and showcase their skills, while experiencing a multi-sport environment alongside emerging athletes from across the RAS network.
With a shared commitment to athlete development and regional participation, the two organisations will keep working to strengthen the foundations of skateboarding and create more opportunities for the next generation of regional talent.
“We’re looking forward to working alongside Skate Australia to grow the program, support our coaches and reach more regional communities over the coming years,” Calverley said.
“Ultimately, we want young skateboarders to be able to start at their local skatepark and see a genuine pathway to wherever they want to take their skating,” Mangano said.
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